Report: U.S. Venture Investment Off to Slow Start in 2012

U.S. venture investment is off to a slow start in 2012, according to new figures from Dow Jones VentureSource. Companies raised $6.3 billion in the first quarter, down 18% from the same period a year ago. "The declines were pretty evenly spread across industries so there weren't any big winners or big losers in the quarter, but there were some surprises," said Jessica Canning, global research director for Dow Jones VentureSource. "Investment in consumer Internet companies fell after two exceptional investment years, while the IT industry fared well thanks to strong interest in software start-ups." The median amount invested in a round fell 13% to $4 million in the quarter.